B.C.’s minister of public safety and solicitor general, Mike Farnworth, has now met with his Alberta counterpart to urge that province to reverse its decision not to let B.C. wine producers ship wine directly to consumers across provincial borders.
A statement from Roly Russell, the parliamentary secretary for rural development, said the recent move by the Alberta government “doesn’t only affect Albertans’ freedom to choose what wine they can enjoy, it has serious repercussions on grape growers and winemakers where I live and throughout our province.”
Russell added it is “baffling” that the Alberta government would make the move to do that now.
It was recently revealed that the Alberta government’s Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), sent a letter to B.C. wine producers, saying they need to cease shipping wine directly to consumers.
“To maintain the integrity of Alberta’s liquor model and to protect the interests of Alberta retailers and liquor agents, AGLC will not accept any inbound shipments” from any suppliers or manufacturers providing direct-to-consumer shipping of liquor products to Alberta residents, the letter explains.
If B.C. wineries do not comply, the AGLC states it will refuse shipments for their products to be stocked in Alberta’s restaurants and liquor stores.
The Okanagan wine industry has already been hit hard by extreme weather events, causing crop damage and leading to production shortages.
Russell said the B.C. government is providing financial assistance for income loss due to crop failure and last year approximately $27 million in production insurance claims were provided to growers who lost crops due to last winter’s freeze.
“I have met with dozens and dozens of grape growers and wine producers in our province, hearing their stories, and understanding the human impact of these challenges in our rural communities,” he added.
“These challenges are not just statistics. They represent the livelihoods of people in British Columbia who make invaluable contributions to our province. Their well-being has cascading effects for so many other families and businesses across the region.”
In a statement, Nicky Gocuan, press secretary to Dale Nally, said he had a video conference on Feb. 1 with Farnworth and both agreed to work together to find a solution to the problem.
Nally is the minister of Service Alberta and red tape reduction.